Wake Up to Joy! From Kate Randolph ~ Please share!

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News from Our Kate  

Kate recently found out she has a brain tumor...and she's chanting three hours a day. 

Kate's 40 year anniversary of practicing is this August. She has reached many of her personal goals, producing and staring in many plays, creating a sought after arts program within the Los Angeles County school district, and having a wonderful relationship with her husband Hal, (who is a brilliant teacher)  and daughter Sarah, who recently graduated from Soka University of America.  

Kate's life condition is sky high and she has this wisdom for you. 

Kate says: "NOW is the time to wake up to joy. Now, more than ever, SGI members need to summon joy, forget complaining about anything, and wear a radiant smile on our faces. She says our smiles must radiate so brightly that light comes out of our fingertips and we glow as beacons so people can learn of the mystic law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo from us, and be moved to happiness just by being in our presence.
 She says we must have joy to show the possibilities of life...JOY is a REQUIREMENT, not an afterthought, and it comes from our determination to summon it from within our lives and express it in our smiles, the pep in our step, and our lives themselves. We can do this! We can do this for ourselves, and by doing this we change the world." 

Kate echoed something I've said for years,  "Our smile is a cause, not an effect." we can't sit around waiting for joy to come into our lives. We must be joyful, and invite more. That's how it works! 

She said: "Joy's the leading edge. Wake up and be joyful, smile at the person next to you in bed, smile at the person next to you at the store, in the elevator, and at other drivers. BE Kosen rufu in action!" 

"It's gotta be real, but you can also fake it till you make it. Put that smile on your face and and you will spark your happiness. Try to be sad with a huge grin. It doesn't work so well!

Kate said "We have to go deeper into our own lives, and into the Buddha we are every day. We've gotta do this NOW. This is it. This is our time. We're ALIVE! whether we are 17 or 95. Grab the moment for all it's got and say "I am creating the deepest value that's ever been created. NOW. Right this moment. There's no other moment. here's no other person. How are we influencing the person next to us...it is our SMILE...beaming with joy...Joy!"

She said: "Stop complaining. NOW. It must be replaced, even if it's phony at first. It may feel phony but it will cause a shift inside your life.  And we have to keep going deeper and deeper into joy. There can't be a place at which we stop. we need constant movement...constantly going deeper." 

President Ikeda says:

"The relationships we have with people are a direct reflection of our inner state of life. To extend and deepen our human relationships is to expand our state of life."

Daisaku Ikeda, from Ikedaquotes.org, under Relationships

_________________________________________________

GO Buddha GO! PowerPrayer to MAKE IT HAPPEN. Rock Your World! Change Your Karma!

My view as I write this blog. What a benefit! 
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We chant for ourselves. 
We chant for others. 
We chant for this life and this world. 
We change our karma 
for the sake of changing the whole world's karma.  
We are the noble Bodhisattvas of the earth 
and Votaries of the Lotus Sutra.

We TELL our lives what we want - in our prayers - while chanting.  
We ARE Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! 

And....Sometimes it seems like it is taking FOREVER for a benefit to come or an obstacle to go away, doesn't it? Even though we KNOW the answer lies within us - inside our own karma, and in doing our human revolution, sometimes we just have to get mad at our own life and wake those Shoten Zenjin UP! (Shoten Zenjin = protective forces within all life)

In the February 2015 Living Buddhism Magazine
(published by the SGI-USA and available by calling 800-835-4558) one of my favorite Gosho passages appeared. In this Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin has been persecuted by the government and is being taken away to Tatsunokuchi Beach to be beheaded. On the way, he sees a statue of Hachiman. 

Nichiren demands they stop at the statue. He looks at Hachiman and shouts: 

'Great Boddhisatva Hachiman, are you truly a god?...Now I, Nichiren, am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of Japan, and am entirely without guilt...If I am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle Peak, I will dare to report to Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, that the Sun Goddess and Great Boddhisatva Hachiman are the deities who have broken their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard with you, you had better do something about it right away!' (WND - 1, 766-67)

Nichiren yells at the Buddhist God and says "you better protect me RIGHT NOW because that is the pledge you made. If I die I will report you! Get to work!" Of course, after he yells at the statue, a huge orb comes out of the sky lighting up the faces of his would-be assassins, they all run scared, and he is saved from death. 

Nichiren's strong attitude when he addresses the statue shows us we can summon the forces within our life. We can all pray in front of our own Gohonzons with fury and with fire. 

PowerPrayer to MAKE IT HAPPEN!
These words represent some thoughts we can have in mind while chanting. Our minds will naturally fluctuate as we chant, and that is absolutely fine. I offer these PowerPrayers because they represent the moments I am most connected to my desire...and I offer them to help you. They are my unique contribution based on my Bodhisattva vow to use my life to inspire. 
By Jamie Lee Silver of ChantforHappiness.com

"Gohonzon! 
Shoten Zenjin! 
Life! 
SOME KIND OF WAY 
this________ HAS TO CHANGE NOW!!! 
My life has to move. 
I Don't know HOW to make it happen. 
And I don't have to know. 
I just know it HAS TO!!
Every Daimoku I chant is changing this karma now! 
It is time for me to see results in this area. 
NOW!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! 

We can all summon this fiery attitude at the crucial moment - we are ALL dignified votaries of the Lotus Sutra, we can all command the fundamental forces that are within our lives and represented on the Gohonzon.

When I first wrote this PowerPrayer last year, I was visiting my nephew in St. Petersburg Florida, certain that my life was unfolding JUST as it should. My beloved son Ben had died the summer before, and I was setting out to create my new life...mostly alone, but fortified by this practice and the power of my own life. Through chanting strongly, like THIS, I was able to happily move to this paradise. 
As I write this I am looking over the Gulf of Mexico, listening to the waves, and shortly I'll be swimming and walking on the beach. These prayers, this practice made it all happen. 

Last year I wrote this: "I am seeing the benefit come from the pain I've been through. Life is getting happier for me, and I have more to look forward to with each passing moment. I will have lots to share with you over the next coming months!" And it was true! By June 30th I was in St. Pete Beach! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! 

Look at the power of YOUR Life! 
You can have anything you wish. 
You have the power within YOU. 

Added bonus: Here's one way to explain the practice for others: 

What we Nichiren Buddhists do;
As practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, 
we chant the Mystic Law every single day. 
Intoning Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 
(which means: I fuse my life with the Mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration) is a noble cause. 
It brings forth our greatest human potential, 
elevates our life condition, and the life condition and vibration of all of life. 
Our life undergoes a complete human revolution...and as our life changes...we change everything. We raise the vibration of the planet. 

When we are Disappointed - 3 Keys to Getting Back on Top

Surfers in Santa Cruz, California

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We all have disappointments from time to time. Sometimes we have expectations and we try very hard and BOOM - things just don't work out the way we want them to...and it can be really upsetting. 

Sometimes it feels like a wave is taking us under. But we have the greatest treasure. We know we are Buddhas. 

We are Buddhas who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. We have access to our deepest, most powerful selves (our Buddha Nature) by intoning these powerful words. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo means "I fuse my life with the mystic law of cause and effect through sound vibration (or Sutra)" activating this vibration changes our lives profoundly...even if we just experienced a set back.  

Daisaku Ikeda says: 

"Resolve to be the sun. 

This is the first thing you must do. 

As long as you are the sun, 

No matter what problem you may be facing now, 

The dawn will always break, 

Fine weather will always return, 

And spring will never fail to arrive." 

From Faith into Action, page 8

And when you have a disappointment there are three things important to keep in mind:

1. Don't give up. Really. DO NOT GIVE UP. Do not think: "I did not pass this exam, so there is no hope for me." or "If I didn't get that job, I won't be able to get any job." Please do not think that your life is not worth living. I promise. It IS. YOU are important. You are important. And life can turn on a dime. Tomorrow IS another day. It is. Reach out. Call a friend. Call a hotline. Do not give up my friend. 

2. Use this practice. It's yours! Chant. Even if it's hard. Even if you feel you're not really connecting. Even if you can only chant a short time. Do it. Morning and evening. Chant. Invite your friends to join you. It's okay to cry and chant. I've done that enough times! 

And tell people about the practice. This week I told every professional I talked to on the phone, and just about everyone I met. And read president Ikeda's guidance every day. 

3. Please do not beat yourself up. You are human. You are a Buddha, but you are also human. I like to look myself in the eye when I get down and tell myself some encouraging words. You can too. You can go to the mirror, look yourself in the eye and say "I love you. I have a lot to offer. I'm okay. I'm a BUDDHA! This will work out. I'm okay," or whatever message you like. When we look ourselves in the eye and speak positively to ourselves it makes a difference. Try it. Don't take my word for it. 

Daisaku Ikeda also says: 

"It is not a question of your environment, 

those around you, 

or what the organization or leaders may be like. 

To be swayed by such externals is pointless. 

It all comes down to one person: you. 

What matters is that you become a brilliant beacon, 

shining with joy and happiness, 

and live your life with confidence and courage. 

If you shine with radiant light, 

there can be no darkness in your life."

From Faith into Action, page 8

As always, I'm a fellow Buddha like you. I'm an enthusiastic SGI member, but I don't represent the SGI officially. I post this blog to encourage you through my own life. 

When It's Really Hard to Chant ~ Some Strategies

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Ok, we all know we need to chant every day - twice a day, to keep our life condition elevated and our motors powered up and moving. 

But what about the days when we sit down to chant and feel like we have a mountain of resistance in the way, and suddenly we have to pop up to do something...then we get distracted by Facebook (I promise this has never happened to me :) ) or we just can't sit still? 

This morning I knew I had the time...I knew I had the determination...and Ugh, it felt so hard. 

So I thought about all of you, and I wondered 

"How can I solve this today so I can tell the readers of Chantforhappiness.com something useful? How can I be an example?" 

So, I stood up and shook my hands out and danced around the room for awhile to get the energy flowing. I just let my hands shake, and breathed deeply to get the energy flowing. Then I made sure I had water and tea, and ... drumroll...I put the phone where I could not touch it, and I turned the ringer off. 

I opened my favorite quote book by Daisaku Ikeda and read: 

"What kinds of causes am I making right now?" "What actions am I taking?" The answers to these questions are what will determine our future ~ in this life and throughout the three existences. Herein lies the foundation of faith. True glory and victory in life lie in basing oneself on this fundamental principle. 

(10/25/96) From Faith Into Action page 89, by Daisaku Ikeda

Perfect!

Then I sat down in front of my altar, wrote out a fresh determination for the day, and YES, my hour of daimoku sailed by. Sometimes it's easier than we think. 

I hope that helps. 

All my best to you!

PowerPrayer (strong determination) for Getting a Job

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Hello friends! I am having a blast here in the Sunshine state. Everything I have ever chanted for is coming true! As I sit here looking over the Gulf of Mexico I can see a cruise ship heading north to New Orleans. When I use my binoculars I can see every light on the ship, and feel like I'm there, hearing the music, dancing at the disco, having a great dinner. 

I'm really on a roll. As you know, I'm now offering a course to the first 10 readers who are fast enough to take me up on my offer to learn about "Popular YOU! Make New Best Friends Anytime, Anywhere." And I'm having so much making it happen. Have you ever felt like you were in the exactly right place at the right time? That's how I feel. I am surrounded by people of like mind, and every day is more perfect than the next. I love helping people breakthrough and now I can do it as a profession. Yayyy! 

I'm sure all my chanting and focus on Daimoku is what brought this all about. I have been chanting to use all my best skills and talents in a way that really helps people, makes me feel fulfilled, brings me and others joy. And I had to decide what I wanted to talk to people about - and what could be more fun than talking to people about making friends? What a blast! 

So, if you're wondering what you want to do, or looking for a job, you might want to chant the way I have been chanting. Here's a PowerPrayer for Finding Fulfilling Work for you

PowerPrayer for Getting a Job 

read this before chanting to help focus your mind

by Jamie Lee Silver chantforhappiness.com

LIFE! 

Now is the time for me to be fully fulfilled at work!

Now is the time for me to reach deep down, change my karma, and make it happen. 

Every Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I chant is changing my job karma now! 

Now is the time I make kosen-rufu happen, by being my best self and fulfilling my mission in life to___________________________________________

(You fill in the blank)

(And if you don't know what you want to do - you might want to focus your thoughts this way):

Life! I KNOW I can have a fulfilling career! With each daimoku I chant, I'm getting clearer and clearer about what I want to do. I vow to show actual proof through my life and inspire others to chant.
That's what it's all about!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!  

Now, get out there and take some action! 

3 Ways to Celebrate YOU and Your Friendships on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is February 14th in America. Many people have a love/hate relationship with this holiday because it's traditionally when you receive a token of love from someone who loves you...
But what if you're not in a relationship? Or, worse yet, what if you have a significant other who doesn't "believe" in Valentine's day, calls it a "Hallmark Holiday" and refuses to participate. There can be many ways to be disappointed or sad when Valentine's Day comes along. 

Not for me. Not anymore! 

Several years ago I embarked on the greatest love of all...cultivating my love for myself from within my own life.

I truly believe as Louise Hay states, that loving ourselves is the greatest journey we can take, and all love that surrounds us stems from love of ourselves. 

So now, when Valentine's Day comes around I follow my own traditions: 

3 Ways 

to Have a 

Fabulous Valentine's Day!

1. Spread the love! 
Make Valentine's Day about SHOWING your love...not about waiting for someone to give it to you. I've already spent a few hours writing and addressing cards to those I love..girlfriends...family members...even new business friends. Every day this week I've given gifts and surprises to people...bringing them joy, and ME joy! If you don't have a lot of friends, this is the perfect time to reach out to new potential friends. Be bold! 

2. Reach Out!
Call some friends you haven't talked to in a while. I set a dinner date with a dear friend, and I've called some friends I haven't spoken to recently. 

3. Love YourSelf!
Show YourSelf some love! You are special! Express your love to yourself. What can you give yourSELF? I'm going to get a massage, and continue to express my love to myself and others. I now am walking regularly, and swimming at least 20 lengths of the pool every day, and it feels great! 
On Valentine's Day I'm connecting with beloved friends and have fun things planned to honor my life and my friends. I'll be giving away some Valentines, too. 

Make it fun. Valentine's Day is about love. It's up to all of us to bring love, to feel love, to build love. 
I'm sending love to YOU right now ~* 

2 Great Keys to Developing Friendships ~ Treasures of the Heart

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From Daisaku Ikeda from Ikedaquotes.org: 

"As the Buddhist teacher Nichiren states: “More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all.” “Treasures of the storehouse” refer to money and other forms of material wealth. “Treasures of the body” are skills and abilities, as well as physical health. “Treasures of the heart” are the riches that we build within our lives. This indicates the kind of inner strength that cannot be defeated by any tribulation. It refers to the power to live out our lives in a creative way, with constant joy, fulfillment and vitality."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And how do we live our lives in a creative way, with constant joy, fulfillment and vitality? I think one of the keys is through the rich friendships we make. Having good close friends to be there for us, celebrate with us...share their lives with us and create close community...Aaaahhhh, THIS is true treasure.

But not everyone is skilled at making friends...and there IS a skill to making friends. AND we can use our Buddhist practice to fulfill our desire for new friends...along with actions to take as well. 

As a child, and throughout most of my younger life I had very few friends. I found myself living in San Francisco as a young mother, a fairly new Buddhist, with very few friends. And I knew I could change this, and that something had to change within me. AND I had to gain some friendship making skills. 

How did I chant? 
What did I do? 

I chanted to change the karma of not having friends. I chanted to change whatever needed to be changed within my own core...within my own BEING, that would change my environment and bring loving, lasting friendships into my life. I chanted to BE a friend. 
I did tons of shakubuku. I chanted for my members everyday. AND I consulted my father, the world's best friend maker. 

And what happened? I TOTALLY changed that karma and developed the skills to make new friends. Now I have more than 20 people I consider BEST friends, and the list is always growing. I love them all, and they love me. I love you too, my readers. My capacity to love just grows and grows. 

How has this changed my life? How could making new friends, lasting friends, real friends - gaining the ability to really open your life to others in a way that allows you to blossom like the Buddha you are...how could that change your life?

Well, for me, it got me through the worst, most challenging times when my sweet son got so, so sick. My wonderful Buddhist friends surrounded me and chanted with me. One friend came every morning. And when Ben died, I flung open my doors and called out to my friends and they filled my house from morning till evening - because I wanted them to. They cried with me, reminisced about Ben with me, chanted with me, and sometimes just sat in silence. 

They helped me plan Ben's Life Celebration, and showed up to be there for me. And they gave me a fantastic send-off when I left Chicago and moved to Florida last June. And although I was sad to be leaving my friends in Chicago, I knew I would make great new friends in Florida, and I HAVE!

THIS is a treasure of the heart. THIS is what really matters in life. Something has unfolded in the core of my life...some energy that opens me to be real...to be ME...to be love and forgiveness and alive...and to love and be loved. 

Key # 1

We can start with the sincere prayer to open to loving friendships, and to change our friendship karma. 

Key #2

Using a mirror - look yourself in the eye. Every morning, and say: 

"I am ready to make new friends now! I am ready right now to bring new friends into my life. I have a lot to offer. My new friends are waiting to meet ME! I am ready!" 

Try this one incredible key.  

Have a beautiful day!